Tesmond's Useful Design

As of today (17th July) CyanogenMod 11 is only available in a semi-functional version. With both GPS and the camera not working it could not be considered a daily driver, and of course there are plenty of other minor niggles. Samsung has introduced lots of great features in its latest version of TouchWiz, and I have always liked the swipe left and right on contacts to send a message or initiate a phone call since it was on the original Galaxy S, but this single likeable feature is does not compare to stock Android. The cleaner look, the instant responsiveness and now with Android L the promise of better battery life we all know that TouchWiz cannot compete. So far I have turned off most of Samsung's proprietary functionality, and found the finger print scanner and heart rate monitor to be next to useless. The Galaxy S5 is still the best phone I have ever owned, but a Google Play edition or CyanogenMod would be a massive step up in usability, speed and enjoyment.

Well the original HTC One got T3's phone of the year . Not a bad choice, certainly a very good all-round choice. The ultra-pixel camera managed some mixed reviews, general considered acceptable, but behind most of its immediate rivals like the S4 in the majority of comparisons. Not everyone agreed it was the smart phone of the year with some like Engadget  pointing to the Motorola Moto X. The Moto X pipped the HTC with a few features such as always on voice and glance notifications as well as a more pleasant shape to hold. HTC did however get so much right with there phone their new M8 has the potential to rule the roost. Unlike most phones it has front mounted speakers, HTC Sense is a genuinely pleasant UI with all of the basics that a user can want well covered, and it is also one of the prettiest phones. Obviously there were some minor flaws, the relatively small battery size, which is not removable and the lack of an SD card slot means there was some room for improvement. S...

So it's MWC time in Barcelona, the rumours about what could be released had me eagerly looking to see what might be my next mobile. Obviously the expected big gun Samsung S5 was going to be announced. Well that has to be the biggest tech disappointment for me. For some reason Samsung released a phone which for the most part is worse than their 6 month old Galaxy Note 3. Each year the S range has spec wise been the best phone at least for a few months, but now Sony have out done them with the Z2 and are even planning to release it before the S5. It seems strange that Sony are suddenly looking to win the spec race. Not only that but they are even talking about a new flagship every 6 months ! Meanwhile HTC have already mocked the S5 and alleged that their follow up to the HTC One, which is to be unveiled March 25th, will be superior . I was certainly considering the S5 prior to the announcement, but now it is off my list. Essentially I would be surprised if their minor camera...